Brick-handling machine



April 14, 1931- w. w' WALLACE 1,800,971

BRICK HANDLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 EVEEZQUF747x24 ZZ/ace "April 14, 1931.

w. w. WALLACE BRICK HANDLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 2April 14, 1931. w. w. WALLACE 1,800,971

' BRICK HANDLING MACHINE Filed Dec. 4, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet s April 14,1931. w. w. WALLACE BRICK HANDLING MACHINE 4, '1930 4 Sheets-Shet 4Filed Dec.

Patented Apr. 14, 1931 wintrnmw. WALLACE, on cHICAeo, rumors nnicxnaivnnmq iv non nn Application filed December 4, 1930. Seria1"Nol499,861

This invention relates to a brick handling machine.

When bricks are burnt in a kiln, they usually sag at the center line,and when put in 5. piles they sometimes sag so that the horizontal planebetween the bricks becomes inclined from a horizontal plane. Due to thiscondition, it has been more or less difficult in the past to insert thefingers of a brick 1o. lifting machine under a tier of bricks or inother words beneath a layer thereof. This invention is designed toovercome this difficulty in constructing the brick handling machine of aplurality of units with provision 1 for tilting or inclining the unitsso that they can be easily inserted in inclined planes under a layer ofbricks.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combination of partshereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined inthe appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred form of thisinvention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similarfixtures in the different views:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a brick handling machineinvolving this invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view of one of the units intilted or inclined position.

Figure 3 is an end elevational view of the machine.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken upon the 351. line 4l--4E of Figure1.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating certainfeatures.

In the drawing the numeral 1 represents the fingers of the brickhandling machine.

These fingers carry the usual brick grippers 2 shown in dotted line inFigure 3 which are actuated by rods 3 connected to bell crank levers 4secured to rods 4l-A. The bell crank levers 4 are connected to springcon- .trolled rods 5 which extend through equalizing bars 13 connectedto stirrup 6 as is well known in the art. Each finger is provided with athreaded stem 7 (Figure 5) which is attached to a vertical casting 8.Each verllutical casting 8 extends into a vertical housing 9 swhich maybe equipped with anti-friction rollers 10 :to allow thecastings tofreely slide therein. A loan 11 connects the different housings 9 forbracing the same and brace members 12*extend from the bar 11 to theframe of theimachine which carries the hol low housing 9.1 it

With reference to Figure 1 it will be noted that. the machine hasfourteenfingers which are divided into two groups or units of seveneach. An equalizing bar '13'to which the stirrups6 are attachednnd thruwhich the rods 5 extend. is. provided foreachunit. Some of the lingersin each unit are providedw-ith forwardly projecting lugs 14. towhichrods 15 are attached. These rods extend thru the equalizing bars.13 and spri-ngs 16 surrounch the upper portions of these rodsand are compressed between the equalizing bars and nuts 17 on the rods;-.

The aforementioned housings 9 l are provided with alined slots .18.Through the slots inzthehousingsof oneunit or group, there extends aregulating bar 19, and ltlll'0tlgl1 the slots in the. housings of theother unit or T7 group there extends a similar.regulating/bar 20, theinnerlendsofwhich is pivotallyconnected .to thelinnerend :ofthe bar 19as; indi-. cated .at-21 in Figure 2. The castingsB on the fingers larebolted or secured to their respective. regulating bars 19 or 20.

The outer endzof the regulatingbar 19"isconnected to'alink 22 (Figurenl) by means of a clevis 23 orthe like. The. upperend of the link 22 isconnected to .one end of a lever24 which is pivoted at QGintermediate,its ends betweenalpair of plates 25 on the housings 9. Thereiis asimilarly supported lever 27 which is similarly connected to the outerend of the regulating bar 20. A central leverQS. which is supported in amanner similar to the-other two levers, is connected to the pivot21 thatjoins the innervends of-the regu lating bars 19 and :20.

It Will be appreciated that by operating thecentral lever 28; the innerends of the regulating barsmay be raised or lowered for: simultaneouslytilting the two units orgroups I ofgbrick handling fingers. Likewiseeither or botlrj of the levers 24 01 27 may be operated for tilting theunits. Consequently if layers of brick are not in a horizontal planebutare in an inclined plane, it is possible to tilt the groups offingers into such inclined plane so that the same mayreadily pass underthe layers of bricks to be lifted.

The aforementioned stirrups 6 which are connected to the equalizingbarsl3 for ap plying the brick clamps are connected to a, transverselifting'bar 29 which extends across the front of the machine. Shortlinks3O connect the bar 29 withlevers 31 which are pivoted at their outerends to studs'32 ex tending outwardly from a housing9.

Theinner ends of the levers 31 are connected by short links 33'to alifting bar 34. which is connected to a pair of links 35 con nected' to.elevating levers 36. I Yielding means 37;act upon the levers 31fornormally forcing thesame downwardly for releasing. the brick clamps.QI-Iowever,-as the liftingmechanism for the bars 13 is included in thesubject matter of a copending application Ser. No. 177,650'filed Aug.25, 1930 it need not be further described.-

It will be appreciated that the brick hand-' ling machine hereindescribed involving a plurality of tiltable units can readily beadjustedwithrespect to converging or inclined planes and no appreciabledifiicultywill be encountered in inserting the fingers between" thebricks even though they are separated by inclined planes. a I am awarethat many changes may be made and numerous details of construction. maybevaried through "a wide range without departing from the principlesofthis-insaid pivot and to the other ends of saidbars.

6. In a brick handling machine, a plural,-

groups, and adjustingmeans connected to vention, and I, therefore, donot purpose limiting the patent granted. hereon 'otherwis thannecessitated by the' prior art. a

I claim as my inventionr 1; In a brick handling machine, a plurality ofgroupsof fingers and means for tilting one group of fingers relative tothe-other. 2. I11 a brick handling machine a plural ity of groups ofbrick-lifting fingers, means connecting the fingers of each group forsimultaneous adjustment, and means for tilt-V V ing one group relativeto another group;

3. In a brick handling machine, a plural ity. of groups'of' bricklifting fingers, means connecting the fingers 'of' each group for:

simultaneous adjustment thereof and-a connection between said means, forsimultane-n ously adjusting a pair of adjacent groups.

4. In a brick handlingmachina a plurality of groups of brick liftingfingers. having vertical stems, a separate bar connectingthe stems ofeach group and meansfor adjusting one bar relative to theother.

5.- In a brickhandlingmachine, a plural-' ity of groups of brick liftingfingers having vertical stems, a separate bar'connectlng the V- stemsofeach group, a plvot for connecting the adjacent ends of the bars ofadjacent,

